Govt betrayed on Lokpal, may return to Ramlila Maidan: Anna

New Delhi: Dismissing the Lokpal Bill draft prepared by the government, Anna Hazare accused the Centre of betraying the country on the issue and threatened to renew his agitation from Ramlila Maidan.

Addressing the press, Anna said that he doubts the intention of the government on the Lokpal issue as despite repeated assurances from the Prime Minister, key issues like bringing all government employees under the ambit of Lokpal and giving autonomy to CBI and CVC have not been addressed in the draft report.

“If the government brings a strong Lokpal then I will congratulate the government or we will go the people saying that government is going back on assurances,” he said.

“I appeal to the people of the country that the country will get justice till good people will go to Parliament till then Jan Lokpal will never come. Yesterday I started the tour from Bihar and now I will go across the country and expose the government,” he said.

“If nothing happens then I may even go back to Ramlila Maidan and start an agitation from the day the elections are announced (next Lok Sabha polls) and ask people to send only good people to Parliament,” he said.

“Until the poor get justice I will continue my agitation, I have given up everything for the nation,” he said.

Anna also referred to a letter written to him by Sonia Gandhi recently. “I got a letter from Sonia that Lokpal Bill will be placed in Parliament, but I ask her… is CBI, CVC under the Lokpal’s purview? Until they get complete autonomy till then corruption cannot be rooted out, I have written this to Sonia,” he said.

Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s recent revelation that his mother Sonia Gandhi had cried after he was elevated as vice-president of the Congress party and warned him that power is poison, Anna said, “if power is poison they why is everybody clamouring for positions of power, power is not poison but an addiction.”

Rahul, while addressing party workers in Jaipur had said, “Last night each one of you congratulated me. My mother came to my room and she sat with me and she cried... because she understands that power so many people seek is actually a poison."

Anna also said that he had written to Rahul Gandhi asking for strong Jan Lokpal, Rahul did reply but there no mention of Lokpal at all.